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BOW BROOCH

Unique ID:SF-5E8ED5

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation

A complete cast copper-alloy La Tene I bow brooch of Adams type 1b dating to the Early Iron Age, c. 450-300 BC. The brooch survives completely intact, though its pin and part of the spring is somewhat distorted in old damage. It demonstrates a four-coiled spring, the outer coils arching in a semicircle above the head before plunging to form the pin. The head expands into a broadly oval shaped body demonstrating raised decoration in the form of an inner hollow lenticular moulding. At the base of the body, the lower bow quickly tapers before flattening into an 'L' shaped forward-facing catchplate on its left hand side before recurving back on itself to form a prominent circular terminal knop that comprises the foot. Preserved in very good condition with an even dark greenish patina, it measures 34.43mm in length, 12.87mm wide at the coiled head, 2.11mm thick at the midpoint of the body by 9.51mm wide, and weighs 5.23g.

An almost identical brooch is recorded on the PAS database as SUR-0B2C37, this form being most common in Southeast England (though with an increasing number known from East Anglia).